Strawberry Bakewell Tart…er…pudding

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

Bakewell tarts…er…puddings combine a number of dessert elements but still let you show off your area’s seasonal fruits. In my case: strawberries!

Like many regional dishes there’s no “one way” to make a Bakewell Tart…er…Pudding, but most of today’s versions fall within one of two types. The first is the “pudding” where a layer of jam is covered by an almondy pastry cream and baked in puff pastry. The second is the “tart” where a rich shortcrust pastry holds jam and an almondy sponge cake-like filling. Today’s post is a combination of the two: a sweet almond-flavored shortcrust pastry, frangipane and homemade strawberry-lemon-ginger jam. 

Bakewell Tart History and Lore

Flan-like desserts that combine either sweet egg custard over candied fruit or feature spiced ground almonds in a pastry shell have Medieval roots. The term “Bakewell pudding” was first penned in 1826 by Meg Dods; 20 years later Eliza Acton published a recipe that featured a baked rich egg custard overtop 2cm of jam and noted, “This pudding is famous not only in Derbyshire, but in several of our northern counties where it is usually served on all holiday occasions.”

By the latter half of the 1800s, the egg custard evolved into a frangipane-like filling; since then the quantity of jam decreased while the almond filling increased.

This tart, like many of the world's great foods has its own mythic beginnings…or several mythic beginnings. Legend has it in 1820 (or was it in the 1860s?) Mrs. Greaves, landlady of The White Horse Inn in Bakewell, Derbyshire (England), asked her cook to produce a pudding for her guests. Either her instructions could have been clearer or the cook should have paid better attention to what she said because what he made was not what she asked for. The cook spread the jam on top of the frangipane mixture rather than the other way around. Or maybe instead of a sweet rich shortcrust pastry case to hold the jam for a strawberry tart, he made a regular pastry and mixed the eggs and sugar separately and poured that over the jam—it depends upon which legend you follow.

Regardless of what the venerable Mrs. Greaves’ cook did or didn’t do, lore has it that her guests loved it and an ensuing pastry-clad industry was born. The town of Bakewell has since played host to many a sweet tooth in hopes of tasting the tart in its natural setting.

Bakewell tarts are a classic English dessert, abounding in supermarket baking sections and in ready-made, mass-produced forms, some sporting a thick sugary icing and glazed cherry on top for decorative effect.

Is it a tart or is it a pudding?

It’s a debate that rages on… It’s been said that the “The Bakewell pudding is a dessert. The Bakewell tart is that girl over there.”

The etymology of pudding is a rather interesting and slightly convoluted one. The naming confusion may come from the British manner of referring to the dessert course as ‘pudding’, and so any dessert is a pudding until another name comes along and adds clarity to what it really is.

the Recipe:

Makes one 9” tart

Components

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows), 1 cup jam or curd, warmed for spreadability
(recipe follows), one quantity frangipane (recipe follows),
and one handful blanched, flaked almonds

Assembling the tart


Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface and roll the pastry to 1/4” thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the center and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Sweet shortcrust pastry

225g all purpose flour


30g sugar


½ tsp salt


110g unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)


2 egg yolks


½ tsp almond extract


5-6 Tbsp ice-cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water a tablespoon at a time, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Strawberry-Lemon-Ginger Jam

4 quarts strawberries, hulled and quartered

½ cup lemon juice

2 packs no sugar pectin

3 TBS minced crystallized ginger

1 TBS butter

1 cup agave nectar

2 ²/₃ cups sugar

Place all ingredients except for agave nectar and sugar in a large pot. Mix well and cook on high heat, stirring often, bring to a rolling boil. When boil can no longer be stirred down add the agave nectar and 1 cup of sugar. Mix well. When pot begins to boil again add the remaining sugar. Stirring continuously, bring to a full rolling boil and hold at this state for 3 minutes. Test for jelling and then hot pack and process jars according to safe canning practices.

Frangipane

125g unsalted butter, softened


125g confectioner’s sugar


3 eggs


½ tsp almond extract


125g ground almonds


30g flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is pale and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. Pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground almonds and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow color.

Multi-Grain Chinese Dumplings with Local Oyster Mushrooms

This month's Daring Cooks challenge is hosted by Jen of Use Real Butter. She selected chinese dumplings (or potstickers) and graciously shared a well-tested family recipe. Lots of wiggle room was given with this challenge in choosing the dough (NO pre-made wrappers!), the filling, and the cooking method (boil, steam or pan-fry). Jen's original recipe and very detailed instructions can be found here.

I knew I wanted to make a vegetarian filling. On an especially serendipitous trip to my farmer's market, I found these gorgeously-hued oyster mushrooms. Can you believe these are grown locally? In absolute pristine condition when I purchased them...unfortunately, they got crumpled a bit on my walk home from the market.

Another good find at the market, a stone-ground multigrain flour, informed my dough recipe. This wonderful flour from Jennings Bros. is a mixture buckwheat, spelt, and hard red spring wheat. (They don't just sell flour either. I'm looking forward to eventually trying each of their 5 different cornmeals including a Hopi Blue!)

The key to making a good dumpling is having a cohesive filling (achieved by finely mincing) and rolling a thin yet sturdy wrapper. This involves a bit of a time commitment, but the results are well worth it! Give it a try! Here is my adaptation:

mushroom filling:
4 cups napa cabbage leaves, minced, toss with salt, allow to drain in colander for 1 hr, then ring out excess moisture with a dish towel

1 cup oyster mushrooms, minced

1/4 cup dried black Chinese mushrooms, reconstituted and minced
1/4 cup shitake mushrooms, minced

1/4 cup minced leek

1/4 cup bamboo shoots, minced
1/4 cup ginger root, minced

2 Tbs red onion, minced

1 Tbs garlic
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp corn starch

dough: (double this for the amount of filling, but easier to make it in 2 batches - or just halve the filling recipe)
2 cups multi-grain flour
1/2 cup warm water
flour for work surface

dipping sauce:
2 parts soy sauce
1 part vinegar (red wine or black)
a few drops of sesame oil
chili garlic paste
minced ginger
minced garlic
agave syrup

Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Set aside until ready to use.

Make the dough: Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade. Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated. Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth. The dough should be firm and silky to the touch and not sticky.[Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water.]

Knead the dough about twenty strokes then cover with a damp towel for 15 minutes. Take the dough and form a flattened dome. Cut into strips about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Shape the strips into rounded long cylinders. On a floured surface, cut the strips into 3/4 inch pieces. Press palm down on each piece to form a flat circle (you can shape the corners in with your fingers). With a rolling pin, roll out a circular wrapper from each flat disc. Take care not to roll out too thin or the dumplings will break during cooking - about 1/16th inch. Leave the centers slightly thicker than the edges. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper and fold the dough in half, pleating the edges along one side. Keep all unused dough under damp cloth.

To boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add dumplings to pot. Boil the dumplings until they float.

To steam: Place dumplings on a single layer of napa cabbage leaves or on a well-greased surface in a steamer basket with lid. Steam covered for about 6 minutes.

To pan fry (potstickers): Place dumplings in a frying pan with 2-3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Heat on high and fry for a few minutes until bottoms are golden. Add 1/2 cup water and cover. Cook until the water has boiled away and then uncover and reduce heat to medium or medium low. Let the dumplings cook for another 2 minutes then remove from heat and serve.

To freeze for later use: Assemble uncooked dumplings on a baking sheet so they are not touching. It helps to rub the base of the dumpling in a little flour before setting on the baking sheet for ease of release. Freeze for 20-30 minutes until dumplings are no longer soft. Place in ziploc bag and freeze for up to a couple of months. Prepare per the above instructions, but allow extra time to ensure the filling is thoroughly cooked.

Pear-Ginger Strudel

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers. A bit of freedom was given in our choices for the filling and shaping of the dough.

Lately, I've been consuming a lot of delicious fresh pears. Although sheepishly I must admit, they are being imported from New Zealand (with a hefty carbon foot print, I know). So naturally, my filling choice was pear and nothing "pairs" better with pears than crystalized ginger. I couldn't decide what variety would be best so I used three different types: Taylor's Gold, Red Anjou, and Bosc.

This is the very first strudel I've ever made, and it's not that far removed from making a pie. The only difference is the technique in making the dough and then str-r-r-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-tching it to a paper thin thickness, which makes it a very large sheet of pastry to maneuver once you have achieved appropriate thickness. Very little sugar is added to the fruit, so it's a deceptively simple, light dessert. There's no getting around the amount of butter required to achieve a flakey crust, though. On that note, I made this recipe vegan by substituting Earth Balance buttery stick for the butter.

And one last thing, the origin of the word strudel derives from a German word that means "whirlpool" or "eddy". I was kind of disappointed in the final esthetics of my assembled strudel until I learned this fact. Eddy describes exactly the appearance of the ripples in the dough.

Pear-Ginger Strudel

adapted from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

2 tablespoons cognac
3 tablespoons crystalized ginger, diced
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
2 pounds pears, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use pears that hold their shape during baking)

1. Mix the cognac and ginger in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Mix the pears with the ginger (including the cognac), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the pear mixture about 3 inches from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-wide strip.

4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

Strudel dough

1 1/3 cups unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches. Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.
Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet wide and 3 feet long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Ricotta Gnocchi with Asparagus, Ramps, and Morels

The inaugural Daring Cooks challenge, Ricotta Gnocchi, comes from the stunning cookbook by Judy Rodgers, named after her restaurant, The Zuni Café Cookbook. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this restaurant, which is now on the top of my list of things to do when I eventually (hopefully) get back to San Francisco one day.

We were given free rein on the flavor components of this recipe. My goal for this dish was buy local, buy fresh—take advantage of Michigan’s finest offerings of spring. This included ordering a pound of fresh ricotta from my favorite wine and cheese store Morgan & York and a stop at The Produce Station to buy asparagus and ramps just harvested that morning. Also, it’s morel hunting season. My co-worker offered me a sack full of these tasty shrooms that he'd recently foraged and dehydrated in exchange for a taste of the gnocchi. I was more than happy to oblige!

 Gnocchi made with ricotta is surprisingly straightforward to make and has an incredibly silky smooth texture. In my opinion it was a lot less prep work than would be if using potatoes as the foundation for the dough. These delicate pillows, which I flavored with sage and parmesean, were a bit fragile, though. Herein is where the challenge lied: handling and shaping the dough. Once formed, I simmered the gnocchi in the broth created from reconstituting the morels. This imparted an additional savory dimension to the finished dish. This morel broth (now melded with flavors from ricotta and sage) is liquid gold! I couldn’t bear to dump it down the sink when cleaning up the dishes. Instead, I strained and froze it. Someday soon it will reemerge in a hearty soup or risotto…

Lavender-Infused Cheesecake with Crystalized Lilacs

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge. My first attempt ever to make a cheesecake came from a cooking light magazine. Bad idea. While I don't mean to discredit the magazine entirely, there are definitely some things that taste better without Neufatchel cheese. I really never tried again after that. My mom makes cheesecakes. I was perfectly happy to eat hers. Thank you, Jenny for sharing this recipe. Mom now has a new resource for cheesecake baking!

We were given complete freedom in regard to flavor choices. I wanted my cake to evoke the freshness of spring. At first I thought of making a carrot cheesecake complete with miniature marzipan carrots as decoration. It looked like a huge project, though, to which I had little time to commit. Then I remembered I just happened to have 200 or so crystalized lilacs stored in my pantry--intended for a party that never happened. Of late, I've had quite an obsession with lavender. This is how my flavor choice came about.

It really is a lovely recipe. Wonderfully smooth texture and good density. I wanted to post it so that you could try it too!

crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter, melted
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

cheesecake:
3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream (heated to a simmer and steeped in 2 tbsp. lavender buds for 15 minutes; strain lavender before using)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, and lemon juice and blend until smooth and creamy.

4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.